The 81 member nonprofits of Community Shares of Wisconsin are working on the issues you care about most including civil liberties, sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, healthy food and farms, criminal justice reform, affordable housing, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Each month Community Shares of Wisconsin presents the Backyard Hero Award to organizations and people making change happen in our community.

This month’s hero is Margaret Brauer, a board member and volunteer manager for Open Doors for Refugees, an organization that helps refugees make a home in the Madison area. Margaret coordinates transportation and winter wear donations, manages dozens of volunteers, responds to requests from case managers at partner organizations, and often personally drives clients to appointments or escorts them to the organization’s free winter wear store. She does all of this with grace and perseverance, even in these challenging times. Open Doors for Refugees would not be the effective organization that it is without Margaret's incredible volunteerism and leadership. Thank you, Margaret!

Open Doors for Refugees is a volunteer-driven organization founded in 2016 and based in Madison, whose mission is to help refugees make a home in the Madison area. They work closely with partner organizations to provide furniture, winter clothing, transportation, language support, workforce development, childcare, and other support services to refugees and other immigrants in the Madison community.

Learn more about Community Shares of Wisconsin.

The Backyard Hero Awards are sponsored by 105.5 Triple M, Isthmus, and Budget Signs.